On 17 March, the talented fighter took to Twitter to reveal the news in a heartfelt statement.
“Welp… this f**king sucks. TLDR: I’m bi. Not the way I wanted to do this, but the chance to do it when I was ready was taken away from me,” he wrote.
Before his announcement, a private and intimate video of him with another man was leaked across social media.
“I’ve tried to keep my dating life private from social media. I’ve dated girls my whole life and suppressed feelings I had throughout high school being on the wrestling team, throughout college, pursuing MMA, and even after making part of the dream happen and getting into UFC,” he explained.
“The thought of my buddies, teammates, and ppl I looked up to looking at me different, let alone treating me different for something I can’t control, was something I couldn’t fathom.”
Molina went on to admit that he never thought he would come out during “this part” of his career due to the “majority of the [MMA] fans being homophobic.”
“I wanted to be known for my skills and what I’ve dedicated the last 11 years of my life to and not the ‘bi UFC fighter” that I’m sure would just be translated to “gay UFC fighter,” he added.
Towards the end of his emotional statement, Molina slammed the person that shared the video before thanking his fans for their support.
👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/zho13QHXeT
— Jeff Molina (@jmolina_125) March 17, 2023
In response to his brave tweet, fans and his industry peers flocked to social media to shower Molina with support.
One fan wrote: “Keep fighting and winning. You’ve done nothing wrong. Now you can be an inspiration to those who will follow behind you.”
MMA fighter Chris Curtis, The Action Man, echoed similar sentiments, tweeting: “The real ones don’t care man. Be happy with you and the rest will fall into place. Glad you can finally get it off ya chest. F**k the haters.”
Before coming out as bisexual, Molina used his platform to support and defend the LGBTQ+ community.
Back in June, the flyweight prospect celebrated the beginning of Pride Month by showcasing his custom-made LGBTQ+ inclusive uniform – resulting in some negative responses from bigoted fans.
Fortunately, Molina expertly shut down the anti-LGBTQ+ hate during his post-fight interview.
“You’re gonna get me riled up. Dude, it’s f***ing ridiculous. Man, who’d have thunk it, in 2022… who the f**k cares, bro?” he said at the time.
“It’s not even about being an ally – I’m not saying I’m not – but it’s just like, just be a decent f**king person. Just be a decent human being.”
While the circumstances are unfortunate, Molina has now become UFC’s first male openly LGBTQ+ fighter.